Malacañang on Wednesday pushed back against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s claim that the Marcos administration was behind his decision to leave the country amid his mounting legal troubles.

In a press conference, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro slammed Roque for trying to pin his legal woes on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the administration.

“First of all, it seems he’s blaming the President and the administration for his situation and what happened to him,” Castro said in Filipino.

“The President wasn’t exactly with him when he made deals with Whirlwind and Lucky South 99,” she said.

Roque is facing charges of qualified human trafficking in connection with the operations of Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) Lucky South 99.

In May, arrest warrants were issued for Roque, Cassandra Ong, and 48 others linked to the alleged scam hub.

Despite the charges, Roque insisted he was a victim of political persecution.

“I am a victim of political persecution by the Marcos government because I am an ally of the Dutertes,” he has claimed.

Castro rejected Roque’s narrative, defending the validity of the charges against him.

“How can he blame this on the President and the administration? People like him who act as obstructionists should stop and start acting like true Filipinos,” she said.

Roque had dared the Philippine government to “come and get” him while he was in Europe.

Castro earlier said the administration was not rushing, as the Department of Justice is still awaiting formal notice of Roque’s asylum application.

She also advised Roque not to downplay the intelligence reports the government has been receiving about him and said that his asylum application was being monitored.